Luke Kuechly discusses Capitol Hill visit, retiring at 28 and how he stays in shape

[ladypanther]

Did not see this posted.  Sorry if I missed it.

Former Panthers great Luke Kuechly, whose career was cut short following a series of concussions, will be on Capitol Hill on Tuesday morning [5/23] for a congressional briefing to bring awareness to traumatic brain injuries.

Kuechly, a five-time All-Pro linebacker, will join ex-Panthers teammate Jeff Byers at the briefing, organized by the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force. Byers, an offensive lineman who played two years in Carolina, is the co-founder and CEO of Momentous, a nutrition company that works with pro and college teams and the armed forces to develop products and protocols aimed at reducing the impacts of TBIs.

Kuechly, who retired after the 2019 season, said he wants to help people — athletes, military personnel or otherwise — who have experienced head injuries. Kuechly is an investor in Byers’ Utah-based company and has done work with Q-Collar, a device worn by Kuechly late in his career designed to reduce concussions.

 

Interview with The Athletic:

Tuesday’s remarks in Washington:

“I want to help people that have had similar experiences as me, whether it’s guys that get them or guys that come back from it in sports or in the military. I had such a unique experience with it playing football. I’ve done quite a bit with some different companies since I got done playing that not only do stuff with sports but the military as well. They have similar experiences to the guys that played. They’re just like us in the sense that they love what they do. They want to do what they do really well and they want to have the opportunity to do it as long as they want to, and not have a reason why they can’t do it anymore — with the primary reason being head trauma, concussion-related (issues).”

 

What he might have done differently:

“I wish I would have been a little more educated on my end, on what I could do to help myself. I think it’s a delicate situation to me because I think RV (former Panthers trainer Ryan Vermillion) and our doctors gave me every opportunity — they did everything right. Everybody wants to look for somebody to point a finger at but it was nobody’s fault. I just wish that I wouldn’t have been as hardheaded about it as I probably was.”

 

What that hardheadedness looked like:

“I understood the severity of what was going on, especially after the first one. It’s like, all right, if I don’t let myself get better, then I’m not gonna provide our team any value. If I keep getting messed up, then I can’t help us win. I’ve gotta be smart because if I’m not, then I don’t help anybody. I don’t get to play. I don’t get to help our team. And long-term-wise it’s not gonna be good for me. So I always understood all that. Sometimes I just wish I would’ve understood this is super, super important. It’s not like I rolled my ankle and I’ll just suck it up and deal with it. You can’t really do that.”

 

Retiring at 28:

“Everybody knows I love the game of football. I love the Carolina Panthers. I loved the guys on the team, the fans. For me playing football is the best job in the world. You wake up and you’re with your buds every day. Everything I enjoyed doing football included. Being with my buds, being around people in the building, whether they were coaches or trainers or equipment guys. I got to work out. I got to eat well. I got to hang with my buds. Everything that I loved was with football. It was freakin’ awesome. It was the freakin’ best thing in the world.”

 

What prompted him to say it’s time?

“I just think I knew. And once I knew that I couldn’t do it anymore — I’m either in or I’m out. I don’t do stuff halfway. And I knew once my brain and my heart said we’re done doing this, I was like, all right, well I’m no good to anybody if I’m not able to rip like I should (and) play the game like I want to. If I can’t go out there and just rip it, then I shouldn’t play.”

His health and fitness routine, which includes 7-9 hours of sleep every night and a strength or cardio workout 5-6 days a week:

“I played the game. It is what it is and now I’ve just gotta do the best I can to live a healthy lifestyle. I love fitness. I love working out. I love to eat. I love the nutrition side. That was such a big part of my life for such a long time that I enjoy it. I think that’s important in your overall long-term health.”

Running his first half-marathon this month in his Cincinnati hometown:

“I ran a half a couple of weeks ago. I was under two hours, so I’ll take that for the first one. I don’t think I would do a full, but I would do another one of those halves. I need stuff to train for and get ready for. It’s like the perfect thing for me.”

 

https://theathletic.com/4542850/2023/05/23/luke-kuechly-panthers-head-injuries-capitol-hill/

 

[Move the Panthers to Raleigh]

I thought you were gonna say that Luke stormed the Capitol on January 6th 

Edited May 30, 2023 by Move the Panthers to Raleigh

[rayzor]

Looking back he wishes he had taken moretime off to recover, but could you imagine the backlash from certain people in here if he had who thinks concussions aren't that big of a deal?

[Ricky Spanish]

5 minutes ago, rayzor said:

Looking back he wishes he had taken moretime off to recover, but could you imagine the backlash from certain people in here if he had who thinks concussions aren't that big of a deal?

"We demand/deserve answers"

[MechaZain]

On 5/28/2023 at 12:50 PM, ladypanther said:

Retiring at 28:

“Everybody knows I love the game of football. I love the Carolina Panthers. I loved the guys on the team, the fans. For me playing football is the best job in the world. You wake up and you’re with your buds every day. Everything I enjoyed doing football included. Being with my buds, being around people in the building, whether they were coaches or trainers or equipment guys. I got to work out. I got to eat well. I got to hang with my buds. Everything that I loved was with football. It was freakin’ awesome. It was the freakin’ best thing in the world.”

 

https://theathletic.com/4542850/2023/05/23/luke-kuechly-panthers-head-injuries-capitol-hill/

 

[Dunn]

A retirement that really hurt to hear, but when you see and hear how it has affected him and his game...you can't help but be happy he did retire when he did.  If he had kept going he might have been the best MLB to ever play the game, but at what cost to his health.  

[jasonluckydog]

Yeah, I didn't see him at the capitol on Jan 6th but he was more than welcome. 

[NanuqoftheNorth]

It was definitely disappointing to lose Luke in the prime of his career.  Having said that, I sure most of us would agree, it was the right decision to put his health ahead of the game.